Charlottes Brown’s Dumpsie Dearie Jam
Dumpsie Dearie sounded to me just like the shouts of mums to a toddler who has scraped a knee on the pavement or had a fall from the park slide. Dumpsie Dearie 
is in fact a jam which is both delicious and Victorian. Nobody seems to know the origin of the name, but most agree that it’s likely a farmhouse recipe from the West Country. Charlotte Brown makes this teatime treat, along with many other tempting goods.
The ingredients for Dumpsie Dearie include lots of wonderful autumn fruits such as plums, pears, and apples along with sugar, lemon juice and zest, and a hint of root ginger. It makes the perfect topping for scones or small vanilla cakes. Make the afternoon tea even more special by adding a glass of fizz – also English to keep with that traditional theme.
All Charlotte Brown’s goods are produced locally for wholesalers and shops. You can buy directly from her in Portswood, Southampton, or online. All the foods have been made in small batches in Charlotte’s kitchen on an Aga. That conjures a warm and welcoming picture. They are from recipes handed down from Charlotte’s Mum and use home-grown or local produce where possible with no additives of any kind. All these products are suitable for vegetarians, and all except the Lemon Curd, Pickled Eggs and Piccallilli are suitable for Vegans.
And for that English Fizz …
The House of Pommery was the first to produce an English sparkling wine, initially using grapes from Hampshire-based growers, and now harvesting from its own vines in that area, which is becoming known for its English wines. There are more than 450 wineries in England and around 3.15m bottles are produced per year, much of it from the south and southeast.
Award-winning Louis Pommery is produced on the Pinglestone Estate from a 40-hectare site where the chalky soil offers the perfect growing medium for vines. Pommery has 30 hectares of vineyard, planted between 2017 and 2019 with the classic Champagne trio of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier vines. Three years after the first vines were planted, Pommery brought in its first ever grapes harvested on UK soil.
Clément Pierlot, Champagne Pommery Chef de Cave and head of winemaking for Louis Pommery England, comments: “I have been involved with this project since its inception and it has been very exciting to explore the growing of vines and winemaking in the UK. As soon as myself and Mr Vranken came across Pinglestone Estate we knew this was the right location for our vines, we felt it was extremely special land and the first vintage has proven exceptional.”
In the glass, Louis Pommery England offers white fruit with a hint of white blossom on the nose. On the palate it has tart apple to the fore with fresh citrus and nectarines adding a balance, the bubbles well-integrated and lingering. The finish is pleasing with a suspicion of wet stones. This excellent sparkling wine works well with light seafood, grilled vegetables and soft fruits.